IN
THE
AGE
OF
Internet
porn,
gay
men
are
most
likely
to
think
of
their
favorite
independent
filmmakers
as
Sean
Cody,
Randy
Blue,
Corbin
Fischer
and
their
smutty
brethren
rather
than
the
more
artistic
likes
of
John
Waters,
John
Cameron
Mitchell
and
Don
Roos.
Leave
it
to
the
Independent
Film
Channel
to
remind
us
how
sexy
these
indie
directors
really
are.
IFC
takes
a
chance
with
their
newest
documentary
miniseries
“Indie
Sex,”
which
airs
four
episodes
at
midnight
on
Aug.
1-4,
and
as
with
the
best
envelope-pushing,
the
gamble
really
pays
off.
The
progressive
series
looks
at
how
sex
is
portrayed
in
independent
movies
by
breaking
it
down
into
four
specials
exploring
censorship,
taboos,
teens
and
extremes
(like
kink
and
S&M).
It
should
be
noted
that
this
is
not
for
the
faint
of
heart,
and
it’s
surprisingly
graphic
for
cable
programming,
including
plenty
of
sex,
masturbation
and
full-frontal
shots
of
all
varieties.
Each
special
is
slick
and
insightful,
offering
historical
context
and
handy
timelines
so
that
each
film
and
topic
discussed
is
put
into
a
larger
cultural
context.
“Fabulous!
The
Story
of
Queer
Cinema,”
an
IFC
doc
from
last
year
(also
directed
by
“Indie
Sex’s”
Lisa
Ades
and
Lesli
Klainberg)
suffered
from
too
narrowly
focusing
on
independent
films
at
the
expense
of
putting
them
into
context
with
mainstream
movies
that
were
being
produced
at
the
same.
It
seems
that
Ades
and
Klainberg
learned
their
lesson,
because
now
we
hear
about
“American
Pie”
and
its
bawdy
multiplex-draw
alongside
the
controversial
experimental
French
film
“Fat
Girl.”
WHILE
THE
DOC
ISN’T
explicitly
gay,
there
are
plenty
of
gay
films
discussed
and
the
reaction
of
gay
critics
and
filmmakers
is
well
represented
alongside
those
of
their
straight
counterparts.
Gay
commentators
include
Waters,
Mitchell,
Roos,
“But
I’m
a
Cheerleader”
director
Jamie
Babbit,
Advocate
critic
Alonso
Duralde,
gay
singer
Ari
Gold,
lesbian
actress
Heather
Matarazzo,
gay
singer
Billy
Porter,
“Another
Gay
Movie”
director
Todd
Stephens
and
lesbian
writer
and
actress
Guinevere
Turner.
It’s
amazing
how
seamlessly
the
views
of
gay
people
and
discussions
of
gay
content
are
woven
into
the
conversations
of
sex
in
general.
Instead
of
being
ghettoized
into
a
specialized
episode
or
segment
of
an
episode
about
“queer
cinema,”
they’re
right
there
among
all
the
others,
exactly
where
they
belong.
It’s
rather
commendable,
especially
since
there
tends
to
be
as
much
discussion
of
lesbian
films
as
gay
male
films,
which
is
a
rarity.
The
episode
on
teen
movies
and
coming-of-age
stories
is
definitely
on
the
gay
side,
a
refreshing
change
in
a
world
where
most
people
fear
that
mentioning
“gay”
and
“teenager”
in
the
same
sentence
will
lead
to
charges
of
corruption,
molestation
and
recruitment.
“Indie
Sex”
is
no
tired
rehash
of
all
the
usual
sex
scene
subjects,
because
the
directors
and
their
interviewees
are
so
knowledgeable
about
the
genre.
While
there’s
enough
footage
that
everyone
will
recognize,
there
are
a
number
of
obscure
films
highlighted,
making
for
an
adventurous
Netflix
queue
for
several
months.
It
would
have
been
easy
for
IFC
to
trot
out
a
bunch
of
stock
footage
and
get
some
talking
heads
to
make
a
quick
VH1-style
“50
Hottest
Moments
in
Independent
Sin-ema,”
full
of
tarted-up
jokes
and
tired
puns.
Instead,
it
chose
to
make
a
smart
compilation
that
really
examines
how
audiences’
attitudes
toward
sex
on
film
have
changed
over
time,
the
effect
those
representations
have
on
our
culture
and
where
they
will
go
in
the
future.
